1. June 2008
Researching
on the web

2. Top
Tips
For Y12
Geographers

3. 1. Select the best search engine

4. 2. Plan a really good
Search strategy

5. 3. Identify
the
best
keywords

6. 4. Ask your Teacher Are there any websites they can recommend?
Tip: Have a look at the Geography section of the school website
>Subjects>Geography

8. Are there any websites they can recommend?
5.Ask your Librarian
Are there any websites they can recommend?
People are resources too!

9. 6. Do we have any special web resources in the college?
Does the department library or college buy into any online subscription services that may help you?

10. Find out! Yes, we do! Do you know What they are? How to find them?
How to use them?
Find out!
Tip: Look at our LRC Homepage

12. Choose your search engine carefully
Search tools
Choose your search engine carefully

13. can determine the search
Blogs
Podcasts
Wikis
Videos
Type of material
can determine the search
Text
Images
Statistics

14. Choose the Best Search for Your Information Need
How many of these have
you tried?
Choose the Best Search for Your Information Need

15. general search engines
Popular
general search engines
include…..

18. Windows Live

19. But 90% of students use
Surprised?

20. Improve your technique!
If you are one of the 90%
Improve your technique!
Get to know
Advanced search features

21. LRC > Study Tools> Search Engines
Try out an online tutorial about Google’s Advanced Search features on our college website
LRC > Study Tools> Search Engines

22. There are also specialist subject search engines you can use
Have a look at this….
 Intute Tutorial For Geographers

23. For a list explaining all the
Search operators
Click here
NOT
NEAR
INCLUDING
BEGINNING WITH
LESS THAN
AND
EQUAL TO OR

24. Planning your Search Strategy
“Grassroots development”
“Brandt Line”
“Quality of life”
Look at your question or task carefully
Are there any key words in the title
that you can use?
“Green Revolution”
“Infant mortality”
“Food security”
Did you notice anything about these words?
HYV
Pandemic
GNP

25. List three or four specific keywords or phrases to use in your search
It is best to discuss these with your teacher
At the time when the research topic is set

26. My topic~ Use synonyms to broaden your search
Tip: you can use the tildy sign in the search box
My topic~

27. specific keywords or phrases
Start narrow
Begin with the
specific keywords or phrases
and move up to broader terms if these don’t produce results

28. Some search engines are particularly good at helping you with this
For example…

30. Are there any command words you should consider?
Describe
Summarise
Justify
Are there any command words you should consider?
Evaluate
Compare
State
Contrast
Explain

31. These words may affect your ultimate selection of websites
You can find definitions of these command words on the college website
LRC>Study Tools>Exams and Revision

32. You may come across new or better key words during your research
Make a note of them
Keep your search dynamic
Your search terms will evolve as you research

33. Keep referring back to your original task or question
To make sure you only select relevant sites

34. Finally..

35. Make sure
you know
how to
cite (list)
your websites

36. To prove you did the research

37. To be able to return to the original source and check your information
Or to add more

38. ….which could get your work
And to prove you are
not guilty of
plagiarism……
….which could get your work

39. Cite a website like this
the name of the author(s)
the date of publication
the title of the piece you are quoting from
an indication that it was obtained online
the full web address
the date you accessed it
Or use an online guide like Easybib.com
Or Citation Machine which will do it for you!

40. Useful websites to explore
The Internet Detective - a detailed interactive tutorial on searching the web. Presented in a light-hearted, classic detective style.
Intute - interactive guide to the best sources on the web, arranged by subject. Intended for undergraduates but still useful to Y12. Links can be saved to a basket and ed to your account.Includes website evaluation.
Internet for Geographers - from Intute’s Virtual Learning Suite
Choose the best source for your information needs - a guide to different search engines
- Bramcote Hills website. Scroll the left column menu to locate LRC. Then scroll down the LRC homepage to follow the links mentioned in the presentation
Google Advanced Search
Search engines features chart – a guide to the operators in different search engines

41. Bramcote Hills subscription links
What is Plagiarism? - an interactive tutorial
Plagiarism advice for students - from the University of Essex. Look carefully at the final excuse on the Common Excuses page!
Bramcote Hills subscription links
These can be found on the Bramcote Hills LRC webpage We subscribe to NewsUK – which searches national newspapers Issues Online – which provides articles on hot social topics, including Globalisation, Population, Poverty, the Environment etc
You will need to get passwords for these sites from the LRC staff
Web Portals ( these group useful, selected, educational sites together)
Topmarks – here is the page for Geographers, with Key Stage indicated
Eduseek – a link to their Geography resource page for Post-16 students
More Geography websites are listed on the school website >Departments>Geography

42. Multimedia Search engines
– use at home as it is blocked by EMBC. Collates video clips from Google, BlipTV, Wall St TV….why restrict yourself to YouTube?
Google
Special Features
Google Cheat Sheet
Google Scholar

43. Acknowledgements
Bradnock, Marianne Blogs and Bytes: ICT and the Secondary School Library School Library Association
Internet for Geography Tutorial University of Bristol.Intute Virtual Training Suite /6/2008)
Robinson, Anne LRC Online (4/4/2008) (Accessed 8/6/2008)
All images from Flickr researched on Filtered for CreativeCommons Licence.
F Crawford June 2008